Ion exchange recovery of chromium (VI) and manganese (II) from aqueous solutions

Sorption recovery of toxic ions – chromium (VI) and manganese (II) – from aqueous solutions with different acidity (0.001–0.5 M HCl) was investigated on cation and anion exchangers synthesized with long-chained cross-linking agents (LCA). The initial concentrations of Cr(VI) and Mn(II) were 1 g/L and 5 g/L, respectively. It was shown that the resins with LCA possess high ionic permeability due to the elasticity of polymeric skeleton. High selectivity and good kinetic properties of these sorbents allowed to achieve quantitative (∼100%) recovery and separation of manganese (II) and chromium (VI) in counter-current columns, which results in the complete purification of solutions from toxicants (below the maximum permissible limits), whereas the valuable components (chromium and manganese) can be returned back to industrial process.